STATEMENTS BY MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR KLEIN ON DECLINE IN THE NUMBER OF NEW YORK CITY SCHOOLS NEEDING IMPROVEMENT UNDER NCLB

Statement by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg:

“This is yet another
sign that our school reforms are producing real results for New York City students. In
a year when many districts across the country saw increases in the number of
schools needing improvement under NCLB, the number in New York City fell
significantly. Math and English scores and graduation rates are up, school
violence is down, and parents have more choice than ever – and we’re going to
keep the progress going.”

Statement by
Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein:

“This was the largest
single-year decline in the number of New York City schools needing improvement since
2005, even though the State continued to raise its standards this
year. It’s a testament to what can happen when we hold all our schools
accountable for helping every student make academic progress. I want to
acknowledge the hard work of our principals, teachers, students, and
parents, whose hard work helped us make these
gains.”

The state identified 401 New York City schools that
are “in need of improvement” (SINI) or “requiring academic progress” (SRAP)
under the No Child Left Behind law this year, down from 432 last year. This is
the largest single-year decline in the number of schools in need of
improvement since the 2005-06 school year.

Since last year, 10 schools in need of improvement
closed, 58 improved enough to return to good academic standing, and 37 were
newly-identified as needing improvement.

A
total of 36 schools in need of improvement are already phasing out and will
close in the coming years.